Have a lovely weekend!
The easiest autumn hair trend, Claudia for M&S, big scrunchie energy, and Jones Road’s The New Classics Kit is back.
Happy Saturday! It’s been absolutely wonderful reading all the comments following the post on affordable autumn fragrances last week.
I’ve loved hearing about your go-to “fuzzy jumper scents” (as someone perfectly put it), and watch this space for a follow-up on mid to higher priced perfumes that tick the same, seasonally cosy boxes.
I think we’ll bring in an expert, too, to talk about how to wear scent to boost its staying power (interestingly, as skin becomes drier in midlife, this can make a difference to the longevity of a fragrance). Watch this space for the hacks!
First things first, a big thank you to at the wonderful Joie de Vivre for the very kind mention of the fragrance story in A Short Of List Of Things Bringing Joie (oh so much autumnal gorgeousness!). And also, so thankful to for also so kindly recommending the MBE (I’ve been behind on my reading, and am just catching up this weekend!).
Today, some midlife beauty and style news, for your weekend browsing.
Easy autumn hair styling
What could be simpler and quicker—especially on cold, dark mornings when maybe you don’t feel like washing and styling your hair—than an easy bun or top knot? It’s the ultimate lazy option, fixes frizz and flyaways, and looks great with chunky jumpers and winter coats.
Or, if it’s not long enough, simply smoothing it back off your face with some kind of frizz and flyaway-fighting styling cream, and adding the odd clip or two?
One of the biggest, hair trends hot off the spring/summer 2025 catwalks are slicked-back styles (as seen above, at Max Mara in Milan).
Here, it was all about the shine and the clean centre part, styled by veteran catwalk hair stylist Odile Gilbert, who said she took her inspiration from the 90s to reflect the “modern elegance” of the collection.
Also in Milan, hair stylist Eugene Souleiman went sharp, clean and ballerina-inspired for the Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini show.
Buns and up-do’s always work best on between-washes hair (less slippery), and any styling cream or pomade that works with your hair type will do the job.
(Sidenote: my eldest has nabbed my Hairstory Hair Balm, a “moisturizing air-dry lotion” that can be used between shampoos to de-frizz and smooth hair. She’s been using it to smooth her curly hair back into a bun and LOVES it, for control and fall frizz-busting. Get 10% off by entering the discount code JENNI10 at the checkout).
And how to hold it in place? …
Big scrunchie energy
Scrunchies have been super-sized and dressed for autumn, and I’m here for it!
Love the tartan vibes of the new Anthropologie Frill Trim Checked Hair Scrunchie.
Or you could go for an autumn animal print moment, with Oliver Bonas’ Leopard Print Hair Scrunchie £12.50.
How lovely would that look worn with a big, cream cable knit jumper?
As would these And Other Stories Duo Extra-Large Satin Finish Scrunchies - how sumptuous and party-ish is that satin? They’ve also done a smaller, super-soft recycled Cashmere Scrunchie.
So, Claudia and M&S!
After teasing “guess who?” posts on social media, M&S revealed this week that it’s tapped Claudia Winkleman as its newest ambassador.
Her first campaign, for Jaeger’s autumn/winter collection at M&S is out, complete with a promo video in which Claudia declares her devotion to the “best bras on the planet”, and the “absolute staples that I cannot live without”. And Percy’s.🐷
Love the bright berry red nails against the (very Claudia) monochrome styling. COMING NEXT WEEK: a MBE devoted to autumn nail trends, and how to get the look with polishes to suit all budgets. Don’t miss it!
Jones Road’s The New Classics Kit is back (with a new shade of MB)
If you’ve been waiting for this limited edition to return, or you’ve been wanting to try the products for a while, I think this offers great value. At £72, it’s nicely curated to let you try a wide range of formulas (skin/cheeks, brows, eyes and lips), and all of them in full sizes, with the exception of the mini-Miracle Balm (a super-handy size to have, anyway). You get to choose your shade of MB, including new Cocoa Bronze, and Sunkissed (the one I dab on every morning, my “desert island” product, which is never, ever allowed to be discontinued, please and thank you 😅). I often wear this on its own, and skip base altogether.
You also get The Brow Gel, The Mascara, Best Eyeshadow in Smokey Brown, and Cool Gloss in Original (lovely shine, zero tackiness, super-moisturising). Plus a cute, zippered JR pouch. (ICYMI: read The Midlife Beauty Edit interview with
here.)
Following Tuesday’s edition, which featured a shot of Cindy Crawford in a recent ad campaign, one lovely reader commented that she remembers doing Cindy’s OG 90s workout video.
Interestingly, Shape Your Body still gets a lot of views—a full length version is available on YouTube— and, last year, US Vogue ran a story maintaining it “remains a truly revolutionary workout video”, citing the slick direction (by a Brit music video director) and Cindy’s working out with her PT at the time, Radu.
Cindy was my first celebrity interview, barely into my twenties, for a health and fitness magazine. As she was in New York and I was in London, we did it over the phone, and I recorded our conversation on an answering machine tape (because, 1992).
Except I didn’t. After our lengthy chat, I spooled back the tape, and, nothing. It hadn’t recorded. In a panic, I called back the PR, and didn’t expect for a minute we’d get to do it again. But Cindy did, was super-kind, and gave me an even longer interview.
On Thursday this week, she and her daughter, Kaia Gerber, live-streamed a fashion shoot together for Zara.
Have a lovely weekend - what are you up to? It’s pretty cold but bright here, so I’m just heading out to run some errands and make the most of it! 😎 Thanks so much for reading, adding a ❤️ Like below posts, and, most of all, making The Midlife Beauty Edit the wonderful community it is.
See you on Tuesday!
How adorable is this behind-the-scenes shot from the Jones Road set of Bobbi with her granddaughter assisting, posted to @justbobbidotcom this week?
Love this! How cool is Cindy C to give you another interview? You must've felt so sick when you realised the tape was blank! Arrrghhh! I remember those days of taping interviews :-)
Oh, and I'm off to get my nails 'berried' this week. Also happy slick backed hair is in because I'm so rubbish at styling and this makes me look as if I'm slightly 'put together' hehe - love a slick bun or pony with a small gold hoop and roll neck too! Have a fab week! xxxx
I love hearing about celebrities behaving lovely! Cindy Crawford has always seemed genuinely interested in others and her daughter gives me the same vibes. Such a beautiful family. And so cool she was your first interview! 💖